JBL Quantum 950 over-ear gaming headset brings monitor-like precision to your next frag-fest

GamesCom doesn’t just play host to all the new games you’re going to be playing over the next 12 months — the mammoth German games show, underway this week, is also the global stage where all the new hardware you’re going to be playing with is unveiled, too.

JBL, purveyors of all things that go in or over your ears, are using the GamesCom 2025 conference to show its latest gamer-oriented wares, taking its premium approach to audio quality and tuning it to the specific headshot-hunting needs of gamers.

And we’ve been on the show floor in Cologne to check them out.

JBL Quantum 950 levels up immersive play

The top tier offering is the all-new, over-ear JBL Quantum 950 gaming headset. Built ‘from the ground up’, it’s looking to bring pro-grade audio tech to the gaming masses — audiophile-tier audio quality where gamers are usually fobbed off with some naff RGB flash instead.

As such, JBL’s new headset is boasting 50mm carbon dynamic drivers, certified for Hi-Res audio playback. Though they’re tuned for the ‘wahoos’ of the Mushroom Kingdom, they’ll also sound just as good when faced with your favourite magic mushroom chomping 70s rock band.

But the real draw here is that game-oriented tuning — the high-frequency response is designed to pick up on audio cues that’ll give you a competitive edge in-game — think footsteps, or the sound of an enemy frantically reloading as you hunt out their camping spot. It’s “the kind of precision audio once reserved for elite in-ear monitors” says a statement from JBL on the new release. This is paired with JBL’s Quantum Spatial Sound 3D head tracking system — powered by JBL’s computational QuantumEngine, meaning that even as you turn your head during a play session, you’ll still have the directional and situational awareness needed to top tables and take the win.

A winning spec sheet

Those looking to team up with mates will benefit from a super-smart microphone system. Using a 6mm cardioid boom (up from 4mm on previous models) it’s offering crystal clear chat (and smack-talk), with that QuantumEngine again kicking in to lock in on the sound of your voice, rather than any other noise coming from your playroom. It should eliminate the cup-to-mic bleed that some headsets suffer from, as well as the clackity-clack of keyboard sounds.

Battery life is solid, thanks to a rarely-seen hot-swappable battery system. Following the same principle as the Steel Series Arctis line-up that we’re so fond of, you can pop a new battery into the cans without any downtime, with the batteries charging on an included base station. Each battery offers 25 hours of play, and the kit comes with two in the box, for an effective 50 hours of non-stop play time.

You’ve got plenty of connectivity options here, too. The Quantum 950’s base station charger also houses a wireless 2.4GHz dongle for low-latency lossless connectivity, and you’ve got Bluetooth 5.3 for when that 2.4GHz connection isn’t suitable. You’ve of course also got a wired connection option too, meaning the JBL Quantum 950 should be compatible with basically any gaming platform you want to use it with.

PC gamers in particular will also be pleased to hear (or, rather, not hear anything at all) the inclusion of active noise cancellation in the cans. As the summer heat kicks in and GPU fans ramp up to jet-engine levels of whine, the Quantum 950 is able to effectively eliminate their drone — and a good deal more ambient sound that could disturb your play session.

Repairable and replaceable

It’s set to be a very comfortable headset. Lightweight, with a hammock-like headband that balances weight carefully across your head, a breathable mesh keeps your noggin’ from getting sweaty even over extended, summertime play sessions. A decent amount of clamping force keeps the headset locked in place, but memory foam cushioning on the ear cups keeps everything from feeling too tight or claustrophobic. It looks good too — perhaps a bit on the ‘look at me’ side of things, but with a slick black or white design featuring purple and orange accents, and (crucially) customisable RGB lighting to keep everything from becoming too obnoxious.

It’s great to see JBL looking to do right by customers — and the Earth — by building out a fully modular system. From the mic to the cable, cushioning and more, each part of the headset is replaceable, meaning you should get many years out of the Quantum 950, even after many battle-hardened years of use.

Which brings us to the price — it’s not cheap at £299.99, but considering it reads like a dream wishlist of features for the modern gamer, it’s hard to hold the cost against it. And in any case, JBL’s catering for smaller wallets too…

Affordable alternatives

If the top tier JBL Quantum 950 is a bit rich for your taste, JBL’s also putting out two more budget-friendly options as well.

First up is the JBL Quantum 650. Priced at £129.99, it’s fairly close to the spec sheet laid out by the 950, but with a few key differences: there’s no base station, no noise cancelling, and no RGB lighting. It’s otherwise quite close to the 950 — you’ve still got the 50mm drivers, spatial sound, dual 2.4GHz and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, that 6mm boom mic and swappable batteries — which are actually rated at a more capacious 45 hours per charge, likely because of the absence of RGB lighting and noise cancelling.

And at the most affordable end of the scale, there’s the JBL Quantum 250. This wired-only headset still packs the same drivers, mic and Spatial Audio support, but has no need for batteries (being wired), and does away with the base station, noise cancelling and RGB lighting. It’s priced at an attainable £49.99, and seems well spec’d for the price.

Both the 650 and 250 add two additional colour ways to join the white and black options of the 950, with purple and teal options available, too.

It’s a solid line-up then, whatever your bank balance. JBL is looking to get these into stores in time for the holiday rush — the 250 launches now, the 650 lands in October, and the top-dog 950 hits in November. So don’t be surprised if little Jimmy is expecting to find one of these under the tree come Christmas.

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